Drawn To Revenge
by nuclearXsquid
Summary: COMPLETE! Sequel to: Anyone Can Be Capable of Love When what starts as a small revenge scheme turns into a plot controlled by Scorpia, will Ari and Alex be able to escape, or will they be pulled in over their heads with no hope of resurfacing? No Romance.
1. Chapter One

YAY!!! A sequel! Technically, I was outvoted into making a sequel, so I suppose, I have to. It really would work better to read the first one Anyone Can Be Capable of Love, first, so it will make more sense.

Disclaimer: I love money. But I don't receive any from this fic, so don't bother trying to sue me. Because last time I checked, my names wasn't Anthony Horowitz.

Note: The story title is the same as a Criminal Minds fanfic by _The Missing Fairy_. She has given me full permission to use it! And you should go read her story, it's amazing!

* * *

Ari slept peacefully. Sometimes her dreams were shattered by images of the dead bodies, but most of the time she slept without interruption. Even the lights on the hospital equipment didn't bother her anymore.

She had been in the hospital for two weeks now. Just one more and she would be released. It smelled so… _Lysol-ly_.

Alex had gone home for school the next night, and Ari had convinced Yassen to go home and get a good night's rest for one night of her whole entire hospital stay.

So it was quiet, only an occasional nurse would sneak in ever so quietly and make sure that Ari's vital systems were okay.

Suddenly, a gun shot rang out, disturbing the quiet. Ari awoke suddenly, not quite sure if it was in her dream or not. Stronger now, she got out of bed and looked out the door. Two men in dark clothes were running down the hall, making no noise.

Startled, Ari closed the door and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She curled up in the bottom of the small shower, trying to be invisible. After all that had happened, she defiantly did not want to be kidnapped again. There was no way.

Silently, she told herself not to be so dramatic, they probably didn't have anything to do with her.

That hope was shattered as a gunshot rang out and the door to her room burst open.

* * *

Alex Rider woke up and got ready for school. He had to try to at least pass the semester, or else they would make him take the courses over again.

In the middle of eating his breakfast of toast and orange juice, the telephone rang.

"I'll get it," Jack said with a smile. She walked over to where the phone lay ringing and picked it up with her non-buttery hand.

"Hello?" she asked into the receiver. She listened for a moment, then motioned for Alex to come and take the phone.

He was puzzled at who might be calling him, and was very surprised when he heard a familiar voice on the other line.

"Yassen?"

"Yes. Listen. I don't want you to do anything. Don't react, just go to school like normal. What happened last time cannot happen again."

"Hey, I saved your butt!"

"And in return I saved yours. Twice. Now listen. Ari was reported missing this morning from the hospital."

"What?!"

"She was healed and everything. The doctors were keeping her an extra week to make sure she was okay."

Alex nodded, even though Yassen couldn't hear it.

"I'm doing everything I can to help her, just please don't get in the way like last time."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "For right now I won't."

"You're as stubborn as heck, Alex. Goodbye."

The line went dead. Alex glared at the phone as if it was somehow the phone's fault.

Jack walked back into the room. "What was that about?"

"Nothing,"

* * *

Bound a gagged, Ari was terrified. It was even worse then last time, bringing about a weird sense of déjà vu.

This time, however, she was in a car, going to God-knows-where. Ari couldn't see out the window either. She had been pushed into a sweat-smelling trunk that probably once held dead bodies.

No, she told herself, don't think about that.

After the longest time, the car came to a stop, right outside a large mansion. The trunk opened and the men forced Ari to walk up the front steps and into the cavernous foyer. Inside, she felt her stomach drop. He looked almost identical to Victor.

Trembling, she was forced to walk closer, the man smiling at her.

"Ah. You must be Ari Ivanovna. My name is Henry Heines. I believe you met my twin brother two weeks ago."

* * *

Yassen paced around his apartment, unsure of how to trace Ari. He had combed through her room, but nothing was found.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

He picked it up carefully. "Yes?"

"Ah hello Mr. Gregorovitch. Your daughter and I were just getting acquainted," The voice was incredibly mocking and Yassen heard something muttered in the background. Could it be Ari?

"Where is she?" Yassen's voice dripped with menace.

"I though of something on the car ride to my estate," the man began before Yassen cut in,

"Is this an unusual occurrence, you thinking?"

"Watch it, Gregorovitch. Remember, you're daughter is sitting right here next to me," the man mocked once more. At least it let Yassen know he was alright. That might have even been her in the background. "Back to what I was saying. You know that Rider kid who always gets in the way? I know some people who would love to get their hands on him. Maybe a trade… Alex for Ari?"

Yassen thought about his possibilities. There was no way he would keep Alex over Ari. No possible way. Yet he didn't want to negotiate with this man. Whoever he was.

"Da," he spoke gruffly in Russian.

"Perfect!" The man chirped. "Meet me at the tube station, stop five, at one o'clock today. No weapons. In front of car eight."

The man hung up before Yassen could say anything else.

* * *

Alex was just getting on his bike when a car drove up. "Get in," Yassen commanded through an open window.

Excited that it might have something to do with Ari, he obeyed and climbed in as Yassen rolled the window back up. "Where are we going?"

"The tube," Yassen grunted, concentrating on the road ahead of him. Alex noticed Yassen had a worried frown plastered on his face. It might have been one of the few times Yassen actually expressed emotion on his face in front of Alex.

"Why?" Alex asked, curious. It didn't seem like going to the tube would bring them any closer to finding Ari.

"Because." Yassen's voice had a dangerous edge that kept Alex from asking anything else on the entire car ride to the station.

When they got there, Yassen got out, followed closely by Alex. Yassen descended the stairs and stood in front of the waiting train.

A man walked up that reminded Yassen of Victor. "Where is Ari?" Yassen demanded.

Grinning, struck Yassen's shoulders quicker than Alex could blink. Caught off guard, Yassen stumbled backwards, onto the train as the doors slid shut, trapping him inside, away from the only link to his daughter.

The man blew him a kiss as the train began speeding away.

* * *

Review please! Tell me what you think so far!

**Updated: November 23, 2008**


	2. El Capítulo Dos

Disclaimer: My name is Anthony Horowitz -cough- I mean... Zanthony Corowitz!

* * *

Alex struggled uselessly against the men that held him. Confusion swirled around his mind and he was just about to strike with his elbow when a gun was pressed to his back. It was all the language he needed to understand the situation.

The men led him to their car and pushed him onto the floor as they took advantage of the plush leather seats. The cold steel of handcuffs were locked around his wrists.

"Well, Alex, the assassin was cheated. How naïve he was to think that I would keep my end of the bargain. He was going to trade you for Ari. But, as you just witnessed, that didn't work out so well for him," The one man, obviously the leader, smirked.

Alex felt a stab in the gut. But what could he expect from Yassen? He cared about Ari. The rest of the ride was spent in silence. After a long while, they finally stopped in front of the same mansion that Ari was brought to.

Alex was escorted into a cell. The guard assured him that it was escape proof with a laugh and mocking smile. The handcuffs were unlocked from his wrists and the guards left.

The door banged shut and Alex was alone.

* * *

Ari watched from the balcony as Alex was transported inside. She was given new clothes and a bath then released with the confinement of the mansion grounds.

Though her freedom wasn't actually freedom, not in its truest sense. It seemed like there was always someone watching her. She was never left alone - save going to the toilet - and it was getting on her nerves.

Henry didn't bother her at all since their first meeting. A younger guy named Blake, her guard, would talk to her from time to time, but stuck to his job of shadowing her.

"So... other than the obvious, why am I here?" Ari asked for the millionth time.

As usual, Blake said nothing, just regarded her with amused eyes.

Ari sighed. She just wanted to be at home with her father, was that too much to ask? "I'm going to use the toilet. Try not to bore yourself to tears while I'm gone," she got up and left the room. Before passing through the threshold and closing the door, she caught a glimpse of Blake making sure she was where she said she would be.

Once inside, she looked for an escape, now ready to take drastic measures. Unfortunately, the only things in the room were a toilet, a sink, and a small window.

Having already tried the window before, she didn't give it a second glance as she climbed on top of the toilet and punched a ceiling tile. It gave way and came up, opening a square of darkness above her head. She coughed as dust was released.

Using the sink as a step, she pulled herself up into the small space, wincing as the strain irritated her bullet wound.

Eventually, the pain reduced to an ignorable level and she replaced the tile. She swore at the fact that it was pitch black in the crawl space and hadn't thought of bringing a torch or matches.

Sighing, Ari set off, crawling blindly, hand after hand, knee after knee.

Jagged pieces of metal tore at her clothes and skin, threatening infection from the dust and grime that surrounded Ari.

Wincing ever so often, she pushed on and soon came to another section of ceiling tile. She pulled it away as quietly as possible and stuck her head into the room.

There was no one there. Perfect. She replaced the tile and moved in the general direction of a dresser she had seen in the room. She estimated being over it and pulled away the tile to see she was one or two off. Deciding that it wasn't worth it to try again, Ari swung her lower body out of the hole and maneuvered so she was standing on the dresser. She pulled the tile back in place and silently climbed down from the dresser.

It was perfectly set up, the room she had found had a second floor balcony in which she could climb the trellis' down.

She unlatched the French doors and walked out onto the balcony. Behind the house, there were woods as far as the eye could see. If she went out about a league (6 miles), then she could double around and come back to the road and hopefully get help.

She managed with difficulty to climb down the trellis she had seen before. She felt the exhilaration of freedom in front of her as she ran through the grass, hardly noticing that she was missing shoes or that anyone in the house could see her.

* * *

Alex sat in his cell, utterly bored. The guard had been right, there was no way to escape, though if he would have had one of Smither's stud earrings, it would have done the trick. There's nothing like explosives packed into a tiny little capsule to help you escape.

As much as Alex pushed the emotions away, he felt jealous of Ari. He had no father that would rush to his aide and not think twice about sacrificing another kid for his own.

Locking his emotions away tight, he stared at the door of the cell, willing it to open.

It did.

But not in the form Alex was hoping for. A uniformed guard came in and hauled Alex to his feet and dragged him out the door.

When they passed a window, Alex caught the briefest glimpse of something running into the trees. Even though she was too far away to make out clearly, he knew that it was his friend. He willed Ari to run hard and get as far away as possible from these creeps.

Noting Alex's preoccupation, the guard saw Ari running into the woods. Gun forgotten, he grabbed the walkie-talkie from his belt and began relaying orders into it.

Alex struck, slamming his foot into the man's collar bone. He meant to hit his neck, but the guard was a little too tall for Alex's leg.

Roaring in pain, the guard slammed his fist into Alex's stomach, knocking the air out of him. Knocked off balance because of an inconveniently placed rug, Alex fell onto his butt. The guards foot swung around and kicked him in the same place Alex had just been hit. Alex curled into a defensive ball, which gave the guard time to draw his gun and place it against Alex's temple.

"Nice try kid," he growled and grabbed hold of the back of Alex's shirt, dragging him the rest of the way.

* * *

Thanks to all my reviewers:

VampireSithLordDarthTryphineus: Yay! Thanks!

CherubChick92: Thanks, your story is good, keep writing it!

Jedi Knight of Middle-Earth: yes, -sigh- you have outvoted me. :p No, don't worry, he just gets mad. hehe!

Josephine18: Thanks! I love you too! (hehe) I will try and update soon, but the week after next I will!

**Updated: January 18, 2009**


	3. Chapitre Trois

Disclaimer: I wish.

* * *

Alex was more confused then ever. A nicely dressed woman was sitting in an armchair, drinking a cup of tea, across from the man that brought Alex here. Against a wall, stood a hideous man covered in different skin-colored splotches.

"Hello, Alex," the man who kidnapped Alex spoke. "My name is Henry Heines. You were with the assassin when my twin brother was killed, yes?"

Alex didn't say anything.

Henry, obviously undeterred, went on. "It seems like a number of people are interested in you. Such a young boy, too. Whatever could have possibly done to make so many fans – or enemies.

"You'll make me a hefty sum of money. A certain organization was extremely interested. This is Julia Rothman, and he's," Henry gestured to the man standing against the wall, "Niles. They come from an organization called Scorpia."

Alex's blood ran cold. He had heard of these people from somewhere. Maybe a whispered overheard phone conversation made by his uncle, or murmurs in the fake bank, he wasn't sure. Unfortunately, he knew it was currently the world's most lethal organization.

And they wanted him.

Like a trapped animal, Alex inconspicuously searched for a good exit. There was a big window behind Henry. But the glass looked rather thick.

The guard stood by the only door, so that wasn't an option, Alex was sure he was carrying a gun.

Feeling defeated, he turned his attention back to Julia Rothman, who was staring at him curiously.

This was sick. He was going to be sold to this lady like a slave. Suppressing a shiver, he stared out the window.

* * *

Ari couldn't tell which direction she was going. It was nearly midday, so telling East from West and North from South was nearly impossible.

Stumbling on a root, she fell hard onto her knees, catching herself with her hands. She got up once more and started off in the same direction she was going. At least she thought.

Passing a fallen tree trunk with mushrooms growing out of it, she made a mental note of it. Then stopped. The dead tree looked exactly the same as the one she had passed an hour or two ago.

Immensely frustrated, she kicked the trunk of the tree, hurting her toe and cursing herself for her stupidity. She was going in circles.

Her chest ached where the bullet had entered just two weeks ago. She shouldn't be putting that much stress on it, for fear she might do more damage to her body.

At the moment, she didn't have much of a choice. Straightening up, she picked a different way then she had gone before and set off.

She traveled for some while, the sun barely peeking through the now dense canopy of leaves above her. Her dress had been reduced to rags, as the bottom was continuously snagged on thorns and pricker bushes. Some thorns had even cut into her leg, and small spots of blood began to stain her clothes.

Tripping over another root, Ari managed to twist around to land on her behind, instead of straining her palm and chest.

She lied there on the bed of fallen leaves for a moment, before attempting to get up. She found out it was a little more difficult than she planned.

Utterly spent, she easily passed into the realm of unconsciousness.

* * *

Yassen slammed his hand into the door of the tram, furious at his own stupidity. It was such a light push, he was caught off guard, and that was why he fell backwards so.

Fuming, he glared challengingly at the startled passengers. A mother grabbed her young daughters hand and pulled her close.

Seeing that made Yassen hurt even more. It seemed like decades, when in reality it was mere seconds, for the train to pull up to the next stop and roll to a halt.

Once the doors opened, Yassen sprinted out, running up the stairway and into the bright midday sun.

He ran the entire way back to the original station. There was no sign of them anywhere. In frustration, he grunted and kicked at a piece of litter that polluted the ground.

* * *

Blake breifly wondered what was taking his charge so long in the bathroom. He quickly passed it off as femae problems and picked up his walkie-talkie when it buzzed.

Someone had spot the girl running into the woods... but that was impossible... she was -

He opened the bathroom door and there was no one there.

He went outside and followed her trail into the woods. It eventually got confusing and jumbled, so he called Mr. Heines for backup.

Henry arrived a couple minutes later after excusing himself from his guests. With him, he brought a guard leading a German Shepard for sniffing a trail, no doubt.

The dog set off, following her train in very confused circles, running everywhere. Sometimes they would see fragments of cloth stuck on thorns.

The dog began barking.

They had found her.

* * *

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

**Updated: March 13, 2009**


	4. Kapitel Vier

**Disclaimer: If only if only the woodpecker cries, the bark on the tree were as soft as the sky.**

* * *

Ari woke up slowly. Before she even opened up her eyes, she could tell something was wrong. Darkness had come and the woods were silent. Ari stood up and looked around.

Right into the eyes of a huge wolf. Letting off a terrified sqeak, Ari backed away. The giant wolf growled and crouched low, ready to spring. Taking a deep breath, Ari prepared to scream, but was cut off by a loud howl.

Terrified, she backed away.

Emitting another low growl, the large wolf sprung at Ari.

Screaming, Ari fell over, the wolf's giant paws on her shoulders and his fangs near her neck. With a gleam in his eyes, the wolf bit down, cutting off her scream.

Ari woke up with a start. Eerie light filtered through the canopy, and the first thing she saw was Henry.

Letting out a shriek that reminded her chillingly of the one in her dream, she backed away. "Come, come, we'll have none of that," he said with a smile, reaching out his hand. Ari didn't move.

Looking somewhat more annoyed, he gripped her forearm and pulled Ari to her feet.

A little unsteady at first, Ari held onto a tree branch for support. When she had regained her balance, she looked around at the other people with her.

Henry stood next to her. Blake, not looking happy, in fact, he was glaring, stood next to a guard holding a rather large dog.

Ari took a step back. "What?" Their silence unnerved her to no end. She kept feeling like something was going to happen, but it never did.

She didn't want to go back to the mansion, whether Alex was there or not. Turning, she began to run away.

Still not speaking, Blake sprinted after her, catching up easily. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, causing Ari to fall over. With an annoyed sigh, she realized her balance was just not what it used to be.

He roughly lifted Ari to her feet. She was escorted back to the mansion, a tight grip on her should the whole time.

Going past an open doorway, she heard voices. They didn't sound like guards. Maybe they could help her. She twisted free of the grip on her hand. She flew through the doorway and into the room, crashing into a burly guard who didn't look too happy at her intrusion.

He grabbed her arms, holding her in place as Blake ran in, followed by Henry. The guard with the dog had gone to the kennels to lock him back up.

Ari looked around the room. Three furious faces glared at her, and the one registered shock.

"Alex!" Ari cried, realizing he was sitting there, looking like a trapped animal.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He thought she had run away.

"They caught me..." she said, frustrated with herself for falling asleep.

The woman stood up. "And who is this, Henry?" she asked, taking in Ari's filthy state.

Henry brushed his coat off and smiled. "I am terribly sorry, Mrs. Rothman." He said, shooting a glare my way. "This is Ari, daughter of Yassen Gregorovitch. She recently escaped and was found again." Another glare. This time, much more fierce.

Ari hardly noticed as the guard let her go. She kept her eyes on the Rothman lady, watching her as she circled around Ari like a vulture.

"Why is she here?" she asked.

"My brother wanted the assassin to do a job for him, but he refused, so instead of killing him, he kidnapped the girl. And Yassen ended up killing him. Hurting Yassen has been fun for me," he said with glee. Ari flinched and he chuckled.

Mrs. Rothman nodded, as if understanding. "Revenge is sweet."

Ari kept staring at her. There was no way she was going to get help from these people. They were just as sadistic as Henry and Victor.

Ari felt someone's gaze. It sent shivers up her back. The man standing against the wall was looking at her curiously. As if he was trying to see inside her mind.

"Hm," Mrs. Rothman said. "How much for the both of them?"

Ari gaped at her. She was buying Yassen and Ari?

"That's illegal!" Ari burst out.

Mrs. Rothman gazed back at her again.

"Many things I do are illegal."

* * *

After running a quick search and hacking into a couple of private accounts, Yassen came up with Henry Heines' house address.

Getting into his car, he sped off towards the mansion, all thoughts on getting Ari - and Alex – out. He narrowly avoided hitting a moving truck, which honked it's horn obnoxiously. Yassen ignored him.

Almost missing the exit, Yassen swerved off the highway and onto some quiet roads. A large mansion grew before him.

Finally, he had the mansion in his sights.

* * *

Thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are great!

Sorry for the length of this chapter!

**Updated: March 13, 2009**


	5. Il capitolo Cinque

Disclaimer: I can only dream a million dreams.

* * *

The next events were a whirlwind of confusion for Ari, everything seemed to be happening at once.

Guards came in and out, two stopping to lock Alex and Ari's wrists behind their backs. Ari was escorted to a bathroom to be cleaned up a little, then Alex and Ari were led outside.

The two were forced into a limousine with tinted windows. She was forced to sit in between Alex and the evil lady, Rothman.

The driver climbed into the car just as a familiar, small, black car pulled up the long driveway.

* * *

Yassen was filled with sudden happiness that he had found the mansion. Ari was somewhere inside.

Avoiding a collision with a limo, Yassen pulled up to the mansion and got out, checking and making sure that his weapons were in their respective places.

Getting a funny feeling, he looked back at the limo, but the tinted windows blocked any view of the occupants.

Turning back, he marched up to the front door and rung the doorbell.

A little later, a servant opened the door. Taking the man by surprise, Yassen knocked him out cold before the man could even speak.

He pulled out a gun and pointed it to the guard who was trying to get his gun out. "Where's Ari?" he said. The guard didn't answer, so Yassen cocked the gun and repeated himself.

Somewhere from behind him, a smooth voice said. "I advise you put that gun down, Gregorovitch."

Yassen spun around and Henry was standing there holding a pistol loose in his hand. "Look what the wind swept in," Henry said in a tone as if her were talking about the weather over afternoon tea.

"Where's Ari?" Yassen repeated through gritted teeth.

Henry smiled. "Gone,"

Yassen felt the world crash down around him. Henry laughed at his expression.

"Not that way," he said. Yassen regained control of his emotions. He was getting too expressive. "She's with Scorpia." Yassen looked about ready to bring up his gun and shoot Henry, but he needed more information.

"What?" he enunciated slowly.

Henry's grin grew. He loved seeing the murderer of his brother like this. "Mrs. Rothman bought both the guy and your daughter."

"She's been... sold?" Yassen said uneasily.

Henry nodded happily. "That black limo that just pulled away as you arrived? They were in it."

Yassen's body jerked. That was them? He felt sick. Why couldn't he have stopped the limo? Or something?! "I guess you'll never see your beloved daughter again," Henry said sickly.

Finally losing control of his self-will, Yassen launched himself at Henry, losing all thought of all weapons other than his fists. Henry smiled and brought up his gun, shooting him straight in the chest.

Yassen Gregorovitch fell to the ground.

* * *

Ari gasped as her father stepped out of the car. He visibly checked his weapons.

"DAD!" she screamed. Julia Rothman, who was seated next to her, covered her mouth with a perfectly manicured hand.

He turned around. For a moment, Ari thought he might have heard her, but then he turned back around and walked towards the mansion as the limo pulled away.

Cautiously, Julia Rothman pulled her hand away. Her vibrant red nails reminded Ari sickeningly of the rattle-snake venom nail polish in a book she had read called Holes.

Ari watched the mansion grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared from sight completely.

Turning back around in her seat, Ari looked at who was all in the limo with her.

Alex sat on her left, Julia Rothman on her right. The man named Niles sat across from her with a guard on either side of him.

Most of the ride was in silence. Then they reached an airport.

They were escorted onto a private jet. No one asked any questions as to why two teenagers might be handcuffed and escorted by a guard each. They got onto a plane. This time, Julia sat across from Ari and Alex sat next to Julia with Niles across from Alex. A guard sat next to Alex and next to Ari.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked. It was the first time he had spoken. His voice was a little hoarse.

Julia smiled. "I thought you might ask. We are, in fact, heading to Venice, Itay, to the headquarters of my branch of Scorpia."

* * *

**Updated: March 13, 2009**

For the second time, I apologize for the short chapter. When editing, I don't want to go back and take scenes from the next chapter to make it longer like I did in _Anyone Can Be Capable of Love_. Sorry again! (Don't worry, it bugs me too that my word count is in the triple digits).


	6. Hoofdstuk Zes

Disclaimer: No, A.H. Refuses to give the book rights to me for Christmas.

* * *

Yassen lay on the hardwood floor, not moving a muscle.

Henry smirked and left the room. He would send someone in later to clean up the body. Once he room was cleared, Yassen cracked open an eye.

Carefully, he reached a hand up to his chest and grimaced at touch. The agony was unbearable. The bullet must have cracked at least two ribs, maybe more. The bullet-proof vest had stopped the bullet there, thankfully. Who knows what kind of trouble he'd be in if he hadn't thought to slip it on.

Painfully, he sat up. Checking to make sure that no one was coming, he stood up, holding onto the wall for support. Yassen stood there for a while as the pain subsided, he took a step, ignoring the new rush of pain.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, he was at the door which was still ajar. His car was about one hundred feet away.

Somehow, he made it into the drivers seat.

Opening the glove compartment, he took out a small bottle, popping five painkillers into his mouth. He took a swig from a warm water bottle and started the car.

He would go to Venice. He was almost sure that was where they were headed. More then almost. Once he got to the highway, he headed towards the airport.

When he got there, he drove around to the back of it. The painkillers had helped immensely, but climbing over the fence was uncomfortable.

Once over, he crept to an empty hangar.

Breaking into and airport would be nearly impossible for the average man. But not Yassen. SCORPIA had trained him especially for this kind of stuff.

SCORPIA. He thought that name in disdain. Sure, they taught him everything, but now he didn't want to be tied down to them, he wanted to be a free agent, being able to take jobs for anyone.

They had a bit of a problem grasping that concept.

And now, his daughter was in their slimy hands.

More determined then ever, he looked at his selection of available flying machines. In the hangar there were two small planes and a small helicopter. He chose the helicopter. He was more familiar with it than the planes and planes took longer to land.

Activating the hangar doors, he taxied out into clear air. Then he got the engines ready and took off.

Below him, he could see people running about, trying to figure out if what he was doing was ordered.

By the time they figured out he stole a plane, he was halfway to Italy.

* * *

Once the plane carrying Ari and Alex had landed, they were escorted into another car with tinted window, but this time it wasn't a limo.

The guards had stayed with the plane, leaving Alex and Ari sitting in the back of the small car, and Niles and Julia Rothman sitting in the front.

Ari and Alex both though frantically of escape. The doors were locked with child locks, unfortunately, so there was no escape that way.

The car moved slowly through the narrow streets. Julia would occasionally point out some old buildings as if they were playing tourist.

Eventually, they came to an old, large building with a scorpion stone carving hanging above the door. Looking closer, the architecture's theme revolved around scorpions.

The car drove into and small alleyway and to the back of the building. There, they got out of the car and entered the headquarters.

Inside, it was elegant, practically bragging money. When they were inside, Julia had Niles unlock the handcuffs with a warning not to try anything.

She must have seen Alex ready to spring, because she said, "You look like John Rider so much, Alex."

That caught Alex off guard. "You... knew him?" Alex asked uncertainly.

Julia nodded. "I'm sure you have more questions, but first, let's have some refreshments and we can trade questions."

Alex and Ari followed Julia into another sitting room, with Niles trailing behind them. This room was lavishly decorated, also. It had more of a floral look to it. If it were not the headquarters of Scorpia and brought here against her will, Ari though it was almost peaceful.

When they were seated, two waiters came out and served the four of them tea.

Ari took a cautious sip, irrationally wondering if it was poison.

As if Julia Rothman could read her mind, she said, "Don't worry, it's not poison."

Ari took another sip. It was actually pretty good. Alex, however, was ignoring his cup, wanting to know more about his father.

Julia frowned at him. "Are you that impatient, that you would ignore the so graciously offered cup of tea by your host?"

"You brought us here against our will. I wouldn't be calling us guests," Alex pointed out bluntly.

Julia chuckled, then frowned. "Maybe so, but still. It was rather expensive."

"I have a question," Ari said timidly.

"Yes?" Julia asked, setting down her cup of tea.

"Why did you bring us here?"

"Hm, that could be a long story."

"We're not going anywhere," Ari pointed out.

Julia seemed to decide what she could divulge. "I'll tell you about some things. Others, you don't need to know. Not yet, anyways. All in good time, you will learn everything about SCORPIA."

"Why?"

"The reason I brought you both here, is I believe you have amazing potential. It's in both of your blood."

Alex interrupted. "My father was a spy, not a killer."

Even though Alex was not criticizing her father, Ari felt a small stab of hurt that her father was labeled as a killer by Alex, not matter how true it may be.

"Oh, dear Alex. Everyone in this line of work kills. Even your uncle killed many people. You have, too."

Ari stared at Alex, unbelieving. "They were accidents," he muttered.

"Accidents with amazing accuracy," Julia said.

Alex said nothing, so Julia went on. "Both of you show potential to be great. I would very much like for you to work with us."

"Huh?" Alex and Ari said at the same time.

"We have a training center in Malagosto. You would be trained on how to use a gun, stealth, breaking and entering, bypassing security, and many other things that would make you successful as an assassin."

Both Ari and Alex didn't look too enthused. "Why would we want to become killers?" Alex asked.

Julia chuckled again. "Your father was not who you think he was. He was a double agent, working for us. He was great at what he did. He actually took Ari's father on as a student."

Ari raised an eyebrow. She wasn't taking to this idea. "And if we don't choose to become one of you?"

"Oh, don't worry. It's your choice, really. But where else is there for you to go?"

"My father!"

"Silly girl, your father's one of the best, don't you think that if he really cared, he would have found you by now?"

Those were the first seeds out doubt.

* * *

**Updated: March 15, 2009**

Edit: Yes! Finally a longer chapter!


	7. O capítulo Sete

**Disclaimer: No, Alex is not mine...**

* * *

They had been in Malagosto a week now. After their talk with Julia Rothman, Alex and Ari were basically left alone, other then dinner ever night with Julia.

Ari found herself in the large library most of the time. Most of the books were nonfiction, but there was a large number of classics, which Ari was actually enjoying.

Only, she waited impatiently for her father to show up. He had to come. He found her last time, why hadn't he come yet? She would wonder as she fell asleep at night and woke up in the mornings. There was no sign of him.

* * *

Alex had taken to wandering around the building, too restless to sit and read. He wanted to know more about his father. Julia had not told him much else after their conversation the first day they were there.

He was able to talk to Ari often, but they had exchanged few words since the night they got there, although they saw each other every day at dinner.

* * *

Ari looked up as a woman entered the library. Ari recognized her as one of the maids. "Miss Gregorovitch," she said. "Come get ready for dinner."

Ari nodded and marked her place in Wuthering Heights with a stray scrap of paper. She followed the maid out the door, then into her room.

Inside, she opened the wardrobe door. Everyday there was a different dress to wear to dinner. The one that hung in there was black and about knee-length.

Ari put it on and brushed her hair. When she was done getting ready, she exited back into the hall. A maid stood there with Alex, who was in a suit, the same as each day.

The maid escorted them into the dining room, where Julia Rothman already sat. Sometimes she would have guests, but today it was just her. Ari and Alex were placed across the table from Julia. She smiled cordially at them and took a sip from her glass of red wine.

After she set her glass back down, she began to speak. "For a full week, now, you have been here. I would like to know what you have to say about my offer."

Alex shifted in his chair uncomfortably. Ari said nothing and looked down at her plate which held lamb. "Well?" Julia said.

Alex opened his mouth and said slowly. "I guess... I will... on one condition."

"And that is?" Julia asked, hiding a large grin.

"You have to tell me _everything_ about my father. I don't want to be told I don't need to know something or other about him, because I do."

Julia nodded. "Fair deal. I'll see you tonight at eight and all of your questions will be answered to the best of my ability."

Appearing satisfied, Alex nodded, picking up his fork and putting a piece of the tender meat into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"And you, Ari?" Julia asked.

Ari slowly looked up from her plate and into the eyes of Julia. "Is there really any other choice? If I say no, you still won't let me go."

Julia nodded again. "That's true. And even if we were to let you go, you'd have no place to live. I'm sure your father has moved on. He does that a lot. It was what he was trained to do."

Ari closed her eyes, trying not to think of Yassen looking back at their apartment one last time before leaving for good. It was not something she was too keen to picture in her mind.

"Fine. I'll do it." She said.

Julia seemed pleased and began eating herself.

Feeling sick to her stomach, Ari ate nothing.

* * *

After dinner, Alex changed back into his normal clothes. He waited impatiently for eight o'clock to come around, occupying himself with staring at random paintings.

It seemed like forever, when it was really only half an hour, of waiting passed, Alex went back into the dining room to speak to Julia Rothman.

When he got there, Julia was there waiting. "Hello Alex." she said, sitting down on a couch. Alex sat across from her. "Let me start from the beginning. MI6 recruited your brother, while we recruited your father."

"No," Alex started to say, but Julia cut him off.

"It's true. MI6 lied to you, like they always have, aren't I right?" Alex nodded. "Well, John came here. He was the top of his classes. He was the best. He eventually helped with the training of a certain Yassen Gregorovitch." She let Alex digest this information for a little bit. "Yassen always looked up to his mentor. He loved John like an older brother. It was hard to separate them.

"And then John Rider was taken by MI6. We traded him for a boy they desperately wanted back. But then, just as John had gotten to our side of the bridge which served as no man's land, MI6 shot him, killing him."

Alex felt the blood drain from his face. MI6 killed his father? "How do you know?" he asked, voice hoarse.

"Oh, I was there," she said lightly. "And we videotaped it from a nearby building."

"Can I see it?" Alex asked.

"Certainly." She got up and crossed the small space over to where a large TV sat. She pressed two buttons and the screen blinked to life.

Then the tape started.

The picture was kind of blurry and grey, but Alex could tell what was going on. He saw his father cross the bridge, and just as Julia had said. Then Mrs. Jones said something into her walkie-talkie and a shot was fired.

Right into John Rider's back.

Alex watched with hatred as his father fell to the ground. He turned back to Julia who was studying him thoughtfully. "I knew him personally," Julia said. "He was a good man, attractive, and smart. He was in the militia, you know."

Alex nodded. Everything he had been told was a lie. It sickened him. He wanted nothing to do with MI6 anymore. All he wanted was to... actually, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do, other then be alone.

"I'm going to go to bed," Alex announced standing up. "Thank you for showing me that. I will accept your offer."

Julia smiled as Alex walked out of the room and down the hall to his own room.

* * *

Ari, who had been listening in, was amazed. She had no idea, and was pretty sure Alex didn't have a clue either. Until now.

When Alex passed, she hid behind a conveniently placed indoor plant. When he had passed, she stood up, ready to head back into her room.

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

Heart racing, she turned around slowly, and saw Julia standing there. "We will be leaving for Malagosto in the morning. You will need your sleep."

Ari nodded, and hurried to her room. Once she was inside, she drew a shaky breath, then went to sleep.

* * *

Julia sat alone in a dark room. The only light came from the moon which streamed in through the open window. Below, Venice was asleep. The canals were dark and few people moved about.

She thought about John Rider. She had loved him. She was willing to spend the rest of her life with him. But no, he loved Alex's mother.

Sure, they had had their special times, but it was never _love._

That was all Julia really wanted.

To be in love again and have him love her back.

But John Rider betrayed them all. He had from the start.

She would get her revenge on his son.

* * *

**Updated: March 15, 2009**


	8. Глава Восемь

Disclaimer: Not my pwnage.

Sorry for this chapter being pretty boring, but two new characters are introduced, and Ari and Alex are getting situated into their new environments. Enjoy!

* * *

Ari stood staring at the training facility. It was _enormous_. A girl who looked about Ari's age walked up to her, smiling. "Hello, you must be Ari," she said in nearly perfect English with a slight, barely noticeable French accent.

"Yep, that's me," Ari said.

The girl smiled. "My name is Catherine, or you can call me Cathy. You're to be my new room mate." Ari nodded. "This way," and she took off towards the left, smaller building.

Ari looked at Alex one last time. He wasn't looking at her or anything else. He was staring down at the ground, looking almost homesick. Which was weird, but the girl, Cathy, was getting too far ahead. Speeding up, Ari turned back away from Alex and followed Cathy into their dorms.

Cathy slowed her pace a little. "The building is divided into sections. The smaller half is the girls dorms, they are on the third floor. The boys dorm is on the second floor and the staff rooms are on the first floor. No student is allowed anywhere on the first floor, and no girls are allowed on the boy's level, and vise versa. If you get caught out of place after lights out, then..." she trailed off, apparently thinking. "Well, the last guy who was found rooting around the staff floor was kicked out, no one knows what happened to him... and other stuff has happened, such as punishment, which is terrible, so I'd advise not to get into trouble."

Cathy seemed like a rather chatty person, which didn't bother Ari at all. She missed being able to chat with some of her girlfriends at lunch or at a sleepover.

Cathy lead them into the lobby. It was small and sparsely furnished, but clean and tidy. Nothing was out of place and the lobby was empty. "There's no one here," Ari whispered, not wanting to talk loudly. She got a sense of foreboding. Like noises were unwanted here.

Obviously Cathy didn't get the same feeling. Her chatter was as loud as ever. "Most people are at class. And if they aren't, they're in the lounge-ish area. That's in the building next door. It's quite fun. I'm not in class right now, since I got to get out early because you're my new room mate!" She lead Ari to a flight of stairs. When they reached the top, Cathy took another, obviously to the third floor.

"It can get a bit confusing, but all the hallways are is a big square. If you keep following it around, you'll eventually come back to the stairway. It's the only one, impossible to get confused. Bathrooms are in the middle of each hall. Luckily, the one by my – our – room is relatively close." She took the left hallway.

"Here it is," Cathy said, stopping at door 316. "The bathroom is four doors down," she pointed, then unlocked the door with a ID card and went in.

"Your ID card should be coming soon. It can get you into certain areas, all controlled by the head supervisors here. It also gets documented to where you tried to get in, so they can check it out, or whatever. Basically, since you're new, you can get into any door with a little green spot next to the card hole. The levels are green, yellow, orange, and red. There is also exceptions, like since I'm on kitchen duty, I can get into the lunchroom, even though I'm at yellow level.

"But for each dorm, a code is in the key card, so even though every card can get into the dorms, only your key card can get into yours. The purple cards – held by the head supervisors – can get them into every single door. So no one can get into our dorm except for us two and people with purple cards or with special permission." She babbled on, still standing in the hallway. It would have been easier if she had just said it in one or two simple sentences.

"Yours should be coming... either later today or very early tomorrow morning. I'll let you in until you get yours."

"Thanks," Ari said, and followed Cathy into the room.

"No problem,"

Inside, it was pretty filled. On each side of the room, there was a single bed, desk, and a wardrobe. The desks were right next to each other on the far wall, facing the windows which overlooked a forest.

The beds were pushed against each wall, so there was a nice amount of space in the middle of the room. On either side of the door, the wardrobes stood tall.

It was obvious Cathy was not the cleanest of people. Her wardrobe doors hung wide open and both clean and dirty closed spilled out of the open drawers. Only a dress and uniform hung in the wardrobe. Books and papers were scattered across her desk, accompanied with empty drink cans and food wrappers. Her bed was unmade and more books and junk sat on top of it and on the floor next to it.

"Sorry for the mess, they only told me this morning that you were coming and I had classes before this, so I had no time to tidy up," Cathy apologized.

"That's okay." And it was. The mess suited Ari just fine. She was more organized by nature, perhaps, but like every teenager, she had the habit of leaving stuff everywhere and only cleaning it up if forced to.

"There's only ten minutes left of class. Then dinner break, so there's no point in going back now. You'll just have to go in the morning." Ari nodded. She felt she needed a little bit of time to adjust before attending classes.

She sat down on her freshly made bed, and something on her desk caught her eye. It was a key card with her name and picture on it. Cathy, being nosy, looked over her shoulder. "Hey! You got your ID card already! That's pretty cool. It looks like I won't need to let you in all the time, after all."

Cathy was about to say something else, but was cutoff by a knock at the door. It opened, and a man stepped in with a suitcase with Ari's name on it.

He set it down and left with a small nod.

Ari stood up and went over to it, opening the latch. It looked as if someone had been to her and her father's apartment.

She felt a stab of pain. Her father. Suddenly, she wanted to see him again, but her camera wasn't in the suitcase. Neither was her laptop, which made her sad. Her laptop was just about half of her life.

But all of her favorite clothes and some other possessions were in there. Ari began taking clothes out and putting them in her wardrobe, which had the same dress and uniform as Cathy's did.

She looked over at Cathy then. Cathy was typing away at a new looking laptop. "Eh," Ari said. "My laptop wasn't brought from my house."

Cathy looked up. "Oh, don't worry. Every student gets one. Look in the second drawer from the top in your desk."

Ari got up and went over to her desk. Sure enough, there was a very shiny-looking laptop waiting there for her. It looked much newer and better then her old one, which was a definite improvement, although her stories and other things weren't saved on it.

A bell rung somewhere, signifying dinner break. "Come on," Cathy said, shutting the lid of her laptop and setting in on her bed. She stood up and left the room, Ari following close behind.

Ari was glad for dinner. She was rather hungry.

Ari sat with Cathy and her friends. Even though she looked, she couldn't seem to find Alex in the crowd of all ages that filled the cafeteria.

All of Cathy's friends were nice. Maybe a little weird, but Ari was used to it, not realizing how she missed it at her old school.

After dinner, they returned to their dorms to go to sleep. It was nine after all, and they had to wake up at five the next day.

* * *

Alex watched Ari follow the other girl away out of the corner of his eye. A taller guy came up to Alex. "Hello. I'm supposed to take you to your dorm room." He said. "Follow me."

He then turned and strode off, making Alex jog a little to keep up.

They entered the same door Ari and the other girl did, and went up the stairs.

"You're not allowed on the first or third floor." the guy said rudely.

"Okay," Alex said.

"Here's your ID card. Never lose it." He said, handing Alex a small plastic rectangle. The guy took it from Alex and opened the door to room 237 before giving it back.

"This is your dorm. You don't have a room mate right now. Get ready for dinner."

He said then left.

Alex got a feeling that he wasn't going to like it here, especially with that jerk – guy – who showed him his room.

Alex looked around. There were two beds, two desks, and two wardrobes. That was it.

Needing to use the toilet, Alex went back into the hallway, setting off in a random direction, wishing the guy was as nice to Alex as the girl was to Ari.

Eventually he found the bathrooms, But he missed the dinner bell. Suddenly, the hallways seemed to fill with boys coming back from dinner.

Alex needed to find a friend to explain everything to him.

He turned around to go back to his room, when he collided with a skinny guy that looked about his age. "Hey! Watch it – oh, you must be new. Sorry about that. Big guys think they can push me around. Name's Charlie, by the way. I live in my humble abode of room 236."

"That's right across the hall from me... I think," Alex said.

"Well, there's one way to find out. Open it." Charlie said, pointing at the door. Alex hadn't realized that they had reached it already. Alex took the ID card out of his pocket and slid it through the slot. The door opened.

"Well, I guess it is your room. That sucks, you don't have a room mate." He said, entering Alex's room. "I'll tell you about what goes on here..." He said, then began telling Alex the rules and other useful tips.

* * *

**Update: March 15, 2009**


	9. Kapittel Ni

Disclaimer: I own Cathy! Yay! But sadly, no one else.

* * *

Ari woke up to the loud clang of the morning bell. It was the beginning of her second week at the academy, and she was already feeling the repercussions on her body. Both her arms and legs were sore, and she stretched to get some movement and comfortableness into them. There was quite a bit of physical activity as well as just learning.

She looked over at Cathy, who was still asleep. Smiling, she threw a pillow at Cathy's head.

They had become great friends in the past two weeks. They had been put in many of the same classes, where Ari was a little behind, but was able to catch up quickly.

The only problem was shooting. Ari wasn't doing too well with handling a gun, though she had gotten hand-to-hand combat down perfectly.

Cathy groaned and turned over, falling out of her bed.

Laughing, Ari began to change. Once she was done, Cathy was only putting her first sock on.

"We're going to be late," Ari said, laughing again.

"I know I know, you go down to breakfast, I'll meet you there in a little bit," she said.

"Kay," Ari said, leaving the room, smirking. She knew Cathy would go back to sleep right away. At breakfast, Ari sat with Cathy's friends like usual. She put two biscuits into a napkin for Cathy. Ari knew she would never make it down the stairs for breakfast.

Sure enough, Cathy was fast asleep, one sock on and the other in her hand.

Ari woke her up, and together they went to class.

Today, they had archery class first. Ari was glad, since they were going out to the ranges today. They used the newest engineering for the bows. They were lethal and perfect.

Next class was gun care. Ari didn't like this class much. Guns unnerved her, although she had gotten more used to them. Today they were taking apart and gun and putting back together.

Alex wasn't in any of the classes Ari had. So they rarely saw each other, not to mention never being able to speak. They had talked once in the cafeteria a couple days ago.

* * *

_Flashback_

Ari walked into the cafeteria with Cathy. They got into the line to get dinner, when Ari felt something tap against her back. She looked back and saw Alex.

"Hey," she said. "I haven't seen you around." She picked up and tray and slid it across the metal plates.

"Hi, I haven't seen you that much either. Which sucks. I wish we had at least one class together." Alex said, while doing the same.

Ari turned to Cathy. "This is my friend Alex. Alex, Cathy." Ari introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," Alex said.

"Pleasure," Cathy said before turning back to the food. She seemed funny. Ari made a mental note to ask her about that later.

Ari picked up a plate and scooped some mashed potatoes onto it. Alex skipped past them, instead, taking beans. "It's been good so far... I miss my dad, though..."

"Yeah, I miss home."

They progressed through the line, taking food here and there.

Ari took out her ID card and swiped it through the small machine documenting that she had gotten dinner. The woman standing there nodded at her, telling it was okay for her to go. "Well, bye," Ari said to Alex He nodded and went off to find one of his friends while Ari followed Cathy to their table.

_End_ _Flashback_

* * *

Another week had passed.

Then two more.

Both Alex and Ari had not seen Julia Rothman since the day they were brought here. But on the one month anniversary of their arrival, both of them were called to a private lunch with Julia.

Both of them found themselves sitting on opposite sides of a large table, with Julia at the end. It was an elegant lunch, much better then the food they served in the cafeteria, although the food there is pretty good. Better then your average school cafeteria, no matter how special the Malagosto training center might be.

"I see you both have been doing very well in your classes. Good job. It is good to see you both progressing well," Julia said.

"Why aren't any of our classes together?" Alex asked.

"Well, For one: Ari is progressing at a quicker rate, and Two: we thought it would be better to keep you apart. New faces help you learn quicker then having an old one there to distract you," she replied smoothly.

Ari got the sense that was not all there was to it, but didn't comment. Instead, she picked at her steak.

"Do you have any questions?" Julia asked.

"I do," Alex said.

"Go ahead," Julia said, taking a dainty bite out of her steak.

"Why did Ari get a room mate? And why was no one able to show me around and tell me everything, like Cathy did to Ari?" Ari was surprised. She didn't know Alex knew all of that about her and Cathy. Ari thought he only knew her name and that was it.

Ari was also surprised to hear about the room mate situation. She though they would have been treated fairly, but that was obviously not the case.

"It was just how it worked out, I'm sorry. Now, I must go. Good day." she said, and left.

Niles came in after to shoo Alex and Ari out of the room before they could even speak to one another.

And that was the last Ari saw of them for six whole months.

* * *

**Updated: march 15, 2009**

Edit: Ew, another short chapter.


	10. 第十章

**Disclaimer: Never have, and never will.**

* * *

Three long years had gone by. Ari was now seventeen, and about to go on her first real mission. She sat outside Julia Rothman's door to get the details.

Minutes had gone by in silence before the door was open and she was invited in. Julia greeted her warmly and offered a cup of tea.

"As you have been told, your first mission will take place shortly. You are to fly to Moscow, where your target is known to be currently located."

Ari nodded. The thrill of a kill coursed through her veins.

She had changed a lot in the past three years. Her body was more feminine, her hair longer, and her bangs hung over her eyes. She had become amazing at self defense and stealth, but was a little iffy around a gun, but could operate it much more efficiently.

She and Cathy had become best friends. Being some of the only girls in the academy, they had grown close to some of them. Other girls back-stabbed and did what most girls did in public school.

Julia Rothman handed Ari a file. Ari didn't look at it. She would when she was safe in her room. Thanking Julia, she left, leaving her untouched tea behind.

* * *

Cathy had just gotten back to her room after eating dinner, when her room mate, Ari came in.

Ari held an official-looking folder. "O.M.G.!" Cathy squealed, choosing to spell the letters instead of saying the whole words. "You got your first assignment!"

Cathy had been on hers the year before, having been at the academy longer.

Ari nodded, sitting on her bed and opening the file.

Then she gasped.

Cathy looked up from her flute sheet music. Ari had no idea why she even played it. There were no classes for it here. No teachers for it or anything.

"Are you okay?" Cathy asked.

"No... Nononono..." Ari moaned, dropping the file to the floor. The various pages spilled out of the folder.

Cathy stood up, putting her flute down and walking over. She read the name of the target.

_Yassen Gregorovitch  
Rouge Agent._

Cathy knew why Ari was so upset now. How could Scorpia do that to her and make her kill her own father? It was madness. Not that it wasn't already, but still.

Ari looked up, eyes almost beginning to fill with tears. "For three years, he hasn't come for me or done anything to contact me. I bet he doesn't even care!" she said.

Cathy sat down next to her. "I'm sorry. I hope it's not that bad. Maybe somethings stopping him from contacting you?"

Ari wiped her eyes before tears could fall. "Nooo. He doesn't care. I know it. That's why he never came for me until three years ago!"

Then someone knocked on the door, asking for Cathy, cutting off what she was going to say.

* * *

"Why? Send someone else to kill him!" Ari shouted at Julia. She knew she was crossing the line, but didn't care.

"Why not? He hates you, he hasn't even tried to contact you for three years. You should be the one to kill him."

"But why kill him?"

"He's gotten too dangerous. He's not exactly loyal anymore, and we can't have him running off against us. It's better this way. And you should be the one to kill him, since one, it'll prove your loyalty to us, and two, it'll destroy him."

Ari didn't like it at all, but she nodded anyways. Nile showed her out the door and directed her in the direction of the equipment room. She was to leave later that night.

Unknown to Ari, more then ten unopened letters addressed to her from her father sat in the secret compartment under Julia's desk.

* * *

Ari, equipped with two handguns, knockout gas, and other various items to get into her fathers apartment, sat on a plane headed direct for Moscow, no layover.

Though she had been a little uneasy about this, she passed it off. Everyone was uneasy on their first solo mission. Everyone.

She closed her eyes, and eventually fell asleep.

-----

When she alighted from the plane in Moscow, Russia, she called a cab and rode it to a block from her father's apartment.

She walked the rest of the way, entering the double doors into the lobby.

With quick, calculating eyes, she noted a man and his pregnant wife on the couch, looking through a baby-naming book. A guy in his twenties was using the pay phones on Ari's right. Two people stood at the front desk, one behind it, the other in front of it. A telephone sat three feet from the boy behind the counter's left hand. His name was Sam, Ari was able to read it from where she was standing.

She walked up to Sam, feigning a small girl. She had a blond wig and padding on. Her skin was coated in a thin layer of latex, making her look dark-skinned. "I'm surprising my uncle for his birthday, can I just go up and surprise him?"

Sam nodded. "Yes, but we have to log you into the books."

Ari thought for a moment, then nodded.

Sam typed a few commands into the computer, then reached for the phone. "Wait!" Ari said. He stopped, phone midway to his ear. "I was to surprise him!" Ari gave an innocent smile.

Sam returned her smile and nodded, putting the phone back down. "Go right ahead, the elevators are to your left. I assume you know which room?" Ari nodded. "Okay then, have a good birthday party for him. Will anyone else be joining you?"

Ari shook her head and thanked him, telling Sam that she would be the only guest.

With that, she entered the elevator.

After a quick check for cameras and bugs – there were none – Ari stripped off the padding, wig, and latex. Putting it in a bag, she got her weapons out and ready, one gun tucked into her pocket.

The bell chimed, and the door slid open, reveling her father's floor.

At his door, Ari pulled out a wallet. Inside, showed a fake ID, and behind it was a key card. She pulled the key card out, and unlocked the door, entering silently.

She gripped a gun tightly, hands beginning to sweat. She couldn't back out now.

Taking a few more steps, she froze when a voice called out from behind her.

"Ari. I've missed you."

Her father stepped out from behind the door.

* * *

**Updated: March 15, 2009**

Edit: This chapter didn't need much editing, surprisingly.


	11. 第十一章

Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own the books. Just a twisted mind.

* * *

Alex had been working for Scorpia for the past three years. It had been much more pleasurable and interesting then working for MI6. Scorpia let him have a gun.

His next assignment was simple. Kill Mrs. Jones, the second in command of MI6.

Alex should enjoy it, but he would not.

Confusion and helplessness swirled in his head. He didn't want to kill her. Besides Smithers, Mrs. Jones had been the nicest to him during his time at MI6. Far nicer then Alan Blunt. Alex would have no qualms about killing Blunt.

But instead he bypassed security in a pizza delivery costume and now stood at Mrs. Jones' door.

It should be easy.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and walked inside.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Jones came out a door adjacent to where he was standing. "Hello, Alex. It's a surprise seeing you here." She said, pretending not to see the gun clenched in his fist.

"Good." Alex said, unsure.

"But, may I ask, what are you doing here?"

"Killing you," he brought up the gun. Mrs. Jones' face stayed flat and emotionless. Surprise didn't even register on her face, to Alex's shock.

"But you won't." She said in a conversational tone, as if discussing the weather.

"I will." Alex said. The gun shook ever so slightly.

"You think that I – Mr. Blunt and most of MI6 as well – didn't know you went to find Scorpia?"

Alex brought the gun down ever so slightly. He wasn't expecting that. "And," she went on. "You think that we weren't watching your house – more for your protection and then anything else. Jack is worried sick. She's going back to America soon. She thinks you're dead."

Alex found it harder and harder to keep the gun up as the thoughts swirled through his head.

All he had to do was fire the gun.

It should be easy.

"By joining Scorpia, you let down not only MI6, but your uncle and father as well. Image the look on your mother's face if she saw you now."

Alex's gun snapped back up at those words. "What do you know of my father?"

"More then you know, I can assure you," Mrs. Jones said, still in that light tone.

"No," Alex said, voice thick. "Julia told me everything. More then you ever would."

Mrs. Jones laughed at that. "Julia Rothman told you nothing but lies."

"Then you tell me."

Mrs. Jones appeared to contemplate on that for a moment. "Alright. But we must make a deal." Alex said nothing. "You leave the gun in the hall and we will sit and talk, and you are free to leave when you please to do what you feel is right."

Alex thought about the deal for a few minutes. On the downside, he wouldn't be completing his mission and there was always the possibility that she wouldn't let him leave. On the plus side, if she kept her word it seemed fair, and he wanted to hear about his father.

"Okay." he said, walking to the door and leaving the gun outside of it. He entered again, closing the door behind him. It locked automatically.

Mrs. Jones sat down on a chair, letting Alex sit on the couch.

And then she told him.

* * *

"_Ari, I've missed you."_

_Her father stepped out from behind the door._

He let it close on it's own, taking a step towards Ari. She held up the gun, backing away.

"Ah, Scorpia sent you. I should have guessed. But answer me this: why did they send you?"

Ari glared at him, pushing away the good memories and letting herself be filled with the lies she had unknowingly been told. "Because you deserve to!" she spat, unlatching the safety lock on the gun.

Her father paid not attention to the gun. She tightened her finger on the trigger, still glaring.

"Oh, my dear. What lies have they been telling you?"

"The one's that are true," she said a little redundantly, pulling the trigger.

The gun fired.

But Yassen wasn't there, he grabbed her from behind, forcing the gun from her hand. It fell uselessly to the ground.

Yassen pushed Ari against the wall, twisting her arm backwards so she was unable to move. "Scorpia," he hissed. "Tells nothing but lies. So I ask again, what lies have they been telling you that you couldn't even write a letter back to me?"

Ari struggled uselessly. "Back to you? You never sent any."

"Yes. I did. For a year I did. And never received a reply."

Ari relaxed, digesting this information. "Then why did you never come and find me?"

"I tried. Ari, believe me, I tried. But after two years – for I couldn't go to the academy or into Venice for risk of being shot or worse – and no luck, I moved back home, hoping to one day see you again."

Ari didn't even bother supporting herself. She sagged against the wall. Everything she had been told – everything – was a lie. She could hardly believe herself for trusting Julia Rothman.

"I... I'm... sorry..." she whispered, trying to put into words what she was feeling. "I had no control over anything. They told me you hated me and... and I believed them." she said. Her father let her go from the wall and pulled her into a hug.

"I forgive you, Ari. I forgive you."

"Aw. How sweet. Father-daughter bonding. Too bad I have to cut it short," a cold voice spoke from the doorway.

Julia Rothman stood there, holding a gun.

* * *

"But I saw the tapes, you ordered his death!" Alex said. They had been sitting on the couch for the last ten minutes, discussing John Rider.

"That's what it looked like. Underneath his shirt, he had a packet of fake blood and a bulletproof vest on."

Alex nodded. "Then are they still alive?" He had a hopeful look in his eye, and Mrs. Jones hated to make it disappear, but she had to.

"No. They did die in a plane crash. They were going off to live a separate life in secret, but Scorpia found out and blew up their plane. Did your uncle tell you why you weren't on that plane?" Alex shook his head. "You were sick for the day. You stayed with your uncle and aunt."

"Aunt?" Alex asked.

"Yes."

"Who was my aunt? Ian never talked about her."

"That's because no one could ever know. Not Scorpia, not even some people inside MI6. He had to pretend to not even be married."

"But who would he marry that no one could find out? A convict? Or a Queen?"

"None of those."

"Then who?"

"_Me."_

* * *

**Updated: March 15, 2009**


	12. 12章

Disclaimer: Not yet, my pretties!

* * *

"_Aw. How sweet. Father-daughter bonding. Too bad I have to cut it short," a cold voice spoke from the doorway._

_Julia Rothman stood there, holding a gun._

Ari stiffened At the sight of the gun, barely three feet away from her nose. She sensed her father's surprise as well. He didn't even hear her coming.

"I knew it," she sneered at Ari. "I knew you would never go through with it. That he would win you over to his side."

"Why does there have to be sides?" Ari shot back. Stupid question. Of course she knew why. There was no way her father would go back to Scorpia. Not after everything. Julia Rothman knew it too.

"A Father-Daughter team such as yourselves would be way too threatening to organizations such as mine. Secret Service Agencies, as well. In a way, we're doing them a favor. A free one at that." Julia's words reminded her of her economics class. _There's no such thing as a free lunch._ Her teacher would drill into their heads. Somewhere, somehow, someone had to give something up.

The thing given up would be their lives.

And two more names added to the list of murder victims when she finally got caught. If she got caught. It didn't look likely.

"You see, I did a great deal of thinking. About who should pay more. The father, or the daughter?" Ari's eye's widened. Whatever Julia had planned for their death was not beginning to sound quick and painless. Just about the opposite.

Ari noticed her father's arm still wrapped protectively around her. And she realized how terrible it would be for her father to be dead. She knew why Julia was going to do it that way. Because that's what would hurt the most. She instinctively moved a little closer to Yassen.

Julia smiled. But it wasn't a smile that made you want to smile back. It was the kind of smile that sent chills racing down your spine. You could call it more of an evil grin, not unlike the grins of purposely scary clowns that had pointy teeth and read eyes. Except for the fact that Julia's eyes and teeth were both completely normal.

It was in that moment that Ari noticed something else. Julia's eyes. They were brown and dead serious. Quite literally. They had the cold hard edge of someone who had seen terrible things in their life and thrived off of it. They were instantly familiar. Ari felt dread creep into the pit of her stomach.

Alex Rider's eyes were the same color. They too, held the look of someone who had seen terrible things, but was disgusted by them. And the look of someone who couldn't escape the reality brought down upon him.

Ari blinked, her features becoming hard. She hated this woman. She was the one who freaking bought her and Alex from their captors and trained them to be assassins! And now, on top of all that, she was the one who could quite possibly be related to Alex! She took another moment to study Julia Rothman closer. Some of her features did look a little like Alex. And Ari was horrified.

In the time that Ari had been in her own head, Yassen was urgently speaking into her ear. "Ari," he whispered again. That time, at least he got the reaction of her shoulder twitching. Yassen took it as an opening that she was paying attention.

"Run,"

Ari stood there for a couple seconds, then reacted. Yassen's grip on her arm had loosened so it would be easier to get out of it, and she spun away, ducking into the bathroom. The only way out was through the door Julia was standing in front of. But many emotions swirled to the top. The strongest one was to fight. Ari gave into that, and grabbed the towel rack off of the wall, and headed out running on pure adrenaline.

In that time, Yassen had leaped at Julia, knocking the gun out of the way. She reacted instantaneously. Her right foot snapped back and caught Yassen in the gut. She brought the gun back around, and instead of firing, knocked him over the head. It stunned him for a moment, then he was back on his feet, ready to kill.

The only problem, was they were about evenly matched. Julia was a bit stronger then Yassen in pure strength, but he made up for it in speed and agility.

Then Ari came running out with a towel rack. She tried to hit Julia, but she lifted a coat stand and heaved it at the girl, with the coats still on it.

Ari could do nothing to avoid it. The rack crashed into her, knocking her over the back of the couch and onto the floor. Something crashed against the coffee table, Yassen feared it was Ari's head. When she didn't get back up, his worries were confirmed. He was torn between fighting and going to his daughter. He glanced back at her, then felt something sting his shoulder. His mind immediately began to grow hazy.

He looked at his shoulder and a blue dart stuck out of it. The liquid inside was beginning to enter his system, he could feel the poison in his body. He recognized it. It was something or other... to knock someone out. He couldn't place... the name... Julia stood there looking triumphant.

His last thought was that Julia would take him and leave Ari alone.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Julia wouldn't leave the girl alone. She meant to much to Yassen.

In a matter of seconds, the assassin was unconscious.

* * *

"_Aunt?" Alex asked._

"_Yes."_

"_Who was my aunt? Ian never talked about her."_

"_That's because no one could ever know. Not Scorpia, not even some people inside MI6. He had to pretend to not even be married."_

"_But who would he marry that no one could find out? A convict? Or a Queen?"_

"_None of those."_

"_Then who?"_

"_Me."_

Immediately, Mrs. Jones got up to make tea.

Alex got his thoughts together. It made sense. She said her husband was dead, along with her kids.

Kids?

Kids!

Alex had cousins?

A million and one thoughts swirled around his head. It didn't make much sense, but in a way, everything fell into place.

He now knew about his uncle, father, and aunt. Not including his cousins, that left one person. His mother. Just moments ago he was alone and without family, and now, he had an aunt and cousins?

When Mrs. Jones returned with the tea, Alex took it, thanking her. "What about your kids?"

Pain was the first emotion that showed on her face. It was quickly covered up. "I'm sorry," he said, and he was.

She took a deep breath. "Their names were Elizabeth and Tom. Elizabeth was only five years older then you, and Tom was three years older. In order to keep ourselves distanced, I took our children across town and hid them. While I was overseas on a mission, Scorpia struck. When I returned, the daycare center where they stayed while I was gone had been bombed. That was two years before you were born."

Alex was speechless. So easily Scorpia had taken the lives of a whole building of children. Alex did the math. Tom would have been three and Elizabeth would have been five.

The word 'depressing' didn't even begin to cover it.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Alex asked. "And what of my mother?"

Alex caught a glint of... was it hesitancy in Mrs. Jone's eye. She took another deep breath and said, "Helen Rider never existed."

"What!? Of course she did! I'm here, aren't I?" Alex burst out.

Mrs. Jones held up her hand to quiet him. "Please. This is difficult. Just listen, then ask questions," she said. Alex nodded and she continued, "Helen Rider was a cover-up for John Rider at MI6. When he was undercover in Scorpia, Julia Rothman had a... thing... for him. Well, it evolved more then he cared to admit, and one night after a few too many drinks..." Mrs. Jones trailed off. She really hated telling him. She would much rather Alan Blunt had told Alex, but Alan was opposed to telling him anything at all.

"You're not telling me... No! It can't be! You're lying!"

"No, Alex. I'm not. With John undercover, how could 'Helen' have gotten pregnant? The fact is, John had gotten Julia pregnant. Not purposely. And for the sake of his status, he, Alan Blunt, and Ian Rider got together and wrote the life story of Helen Rider."

Alex was reeling. He felt as if he was going to throw up. "No," was all he could say.

"I'm sorry Alex. Julia Rothman is your mother."

**Updated: March 15, 2009**


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer: Disclaimed.**

* * *

It was three in the afternoon and cars slowly rolled past the Royal & General Bank. It was just an ordinary bank, a small but steady stream of people came in and out, going about their daily business.

A man walked up the street. He was in no hurry, it was a beautiful day and he had no need to rush. Everything would happen in time.

The man was nothing to look at. He had short blond hair and green eyes. He wore a casual black suit and wore no tie. He carried a large briefcase that had two shiny locks on it.

Instead of passing the bank, he went into it. Inside, the building was not a bank. In fact, there was nothing even remotely bank-like about it other then the boring common area and reception desk.

He had a key card to get into the elevator, because, in fact, he worked there. But he wasn't there for work. He was there because he was blackmailed into doing _it_. They had his family. He had no other choice. He knew he would die, but that was a much better price to pay then letting his family suffer. He had two daughters in school!

Before he could convince himself to turn the other cheek, he went to the very top floor. Pausing in the hallway, the opened his briefcase and removed the protection keeping the elevator sensors from finding what was in it.

A bomb.

He quickly connected the correct wires and stood up, holding the switch in one hand. Someone rounded the corner. It was Alan Blunt. Smiling apologetically at his former boss, the man pressed the button.

At exactly 3:13, the bomb went off and shook the whole bank.

* * *

Alex and Mrs. Jones sat in silence for a while, thinking about what was going on, when the telephone rang.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

She seemed to listen for a moment, then turned quite pale. "Oh, dear," she said, completely out of character. "Yes. I'll be right there," another pause. "Of course. We're on our way."

She hung up the phone and turned to Alex. "The Bank has been bombed. The force of the blast took off the two top floors. The damage was enormous and there were twenty-three casualties."

Alex looked horrified. "Who did it?"

"It would have had to have been an agent, since he was able to get into the building, but I'm feeling Scorpia had something to do with it."

Alex nodded. "I'm going up there, would you like to come? I'm sure Scorpia believes you have failed by now." she said.

Alex nodded. Scorpia. It seemed they had something to do with everything nowadays. It was infuriating. He couldn't believe that he had actually begun working for them. Now he was repulsed by them. There was one thing he wanted.

Revenge.

But by getting that, he would need to ally with MI6.

And that meant working for them.

---

When they reached the bank, Alex was amazed at the damage. The top two floors had been literally blown off, and half of the floor to the third topmost floor was missing.

It was scary.

Agents were running around, it seemed no one could find Alan Blunt. When Mrs. Jones got there, she immediately took control of the situation. "Have the injured been taken to the hospital?"

A nod from one of the agents confirmed that they had been.

"Where's Blunt?"

"No one can find him, he seems to have disappeared or..." the woman agent trailed off, not finishing the sentence. All the agents, including Alex knew it but didn't want to be the one to say it.

Alan Blunt was probably blown to shreds.

One of the agents came forward with a casualties list. It seemed that the top officials of MI6 were the ones that had been hit, not including Mrs. Jones because she had been with Alex.

Hours later, Mrs. Jones came up to Alex who was helping another agent collect important debris that had escaped the bomb. Firemen had long come down from the top of the bank saying that the now top floor was unsafe to walk on and repairs could take months.

Mrs. Jones didn't want to think about it, but it was a fact. They needed new headquarters while the bank was being repaired. Maybe, she reasoned, it was better to move to a new one.

She felt alone all of a sudden. She couldn't ask Blunt's opinion, he was gone. So were most of the high-ranking agents that hadn't been away in the field.

She had never felt so helpless.

Another couple hours later, after it had gotten dark, Mrs. Jones took Alex home. The key in the eve of the doorway was gone, so he rang to doorbell. An unfamiliar face answered.

"Is Jack there?" he asked, worried?

"Jack, who?" the man asked suspiciously. Alex looked past him and saw different furniture and strangers in his uncle's house. Alex's house.

"Jack Starbright,"

"Sorry, don't know him."

He turned away without a word. He didn't trust himself to speak for fear that he would burst out in tears. Too much was happening lately. Without a word, Mrs. Jones drove back to her house. She had heard everything.

Alex tried calling his house again, just to make sure, while Mrs. Jones made the bed in the second bedroom for Alex to stay in.

Could Scorpia have gotten Jack, too? Alex didn't want to believe it. Would everyone he cared about be taken away from him?

Mrs. Jones is now family, he reminded himself. But somehow he didn't buy it.

All he knew was Jack was gone.

After he had gone to bed, he thought about everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours and began to cry.

* * *

Ari woke up and found herself in a small, damp cell. Alone.

She sat up groggily, her head aching and the memories of what had happened came flooding back. How could she have been so stupid?

Groaning, she sat up, and looked around her and saw...

Absolutely nothing.

She felt around the walls and decided the cell was about three by six feet. If she reached up while sitting, her hand connected to the ceiling. She had to fight off a surge of claustrophobia.

The door opened and a sneering Rothman stood in the doorway.

**

* * *

**

Updated: March 15, 2009


	14. El Capítulo Catorce

Disclaimer:

Julia: Ha! I, Julia Rothman have murdered your dear author with my evil coat-rack and I have taken over this story in which the ending will be in my flavor, and-

Me: Hey! It's favor, not flavor, and I'm not dead! I am very much alive!

Julia: You won't be soon!

Me: I won't be not dead soon?

Julia: Um... YES!

Me: (shrugs) As long as I get to finish my story!

Julia: How about... NO! Mwuahahahahahaha! And so I kill the pesky little Rider and the pesky little Jones and the pesky little Gregorovitch's and the pesky little Blunt!

Me: You already killed him in the bombing.

Julia: Ah, what a shame I wasn't able to do it myself.

(crickets)

Random hobo: Quit the procrastinating and start writing!

Me: Who? Moi?

Hobo: YES! We, meaning the readers and I, want our chapter!

Me: But... but... this is comic relief... and how are you supposed to be reading this story, you're a hobo! You don't have a computer!

Hobo: Yes, I do! For I am BEOWULF!!!!!!! And Nuclear Squid owns nothing!

(more crickets)

* * *

Two guards entered Ari's cell and roughly bound her hands, then drug her out into the hallway. They turned left and then entered the second door on the right.

Yassen was inside.

He was tied to a chair in a circle of five chairs. The guards sat on either side of Yassen, and Ari was seated in a seat next to Julia Rothman and one of the guards.

It reminded Ari of group counseling sessions at insane asylums. Maybe that's where all of them belonged. Or, at least Julia.

Julia smiled pleasantly and crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap.

Ari could tell already, Julia was going to milk it for all it was worth and love every minute of it.

Sick lady.

* * *

A scientist was examining a small piece of flesh gathered from the bank, and deducted it was the bomber's. It was quite funny, since she had gotten pieces from the bomber, who was standing closer to the bomb, but got none from Alan Blunt himself. It was like he disappeared into thin air.

Puzzled, she documented her findings and moved onto half a shoe, gathering DNA evidence.

Already, six more names had been added to the long list of casualties.

* * *

The next morning, Alex woke up to Mrs. Jones making breakfast. He accepted a portion of eggs and orange juice.

Alex's face was read and his eyes were bloodshot from shedding so many tears the night before. There was emotional pain apparent on his face, and his hands shook slightly as he took a drink.

"Any news of Blunt?" Alex finally asked. He could care less, but figured Blunt was his shot at Scorpia.

"None at all. It seems as though he disappeared or was so badly hit that no remains of him were found."

Alex couldn't believe it. All those times he had wished Blunt would drop down dead, he wasn't being totally serious... in a way... he really only meant he wished Blunt would drop out of his life...

Alex was so confused.

In a way, it was hard to believe the head of MI6 was dead. Alex would never see his boring, grey face again. Alex wasn't exactly sad, more of hollow. It was just another reminder about how very terribly real his life is.

Alex put his head down on his hands, and Mrs. Jones didn't say anything. Instead, she went into her room. For that Alex was grateful. It gave him time to think about everything that happened and made him even more sure he wanted to join MI6 and strike forces against Scorpia.

And against his biological mother.

For, in fact, Julia Rothman had never been a mother. In fact, she bought him from his kidnapper and taught him how to be a killer, then sent him after Mrs. Jones.

Not very motherly-like, if you asked him.

Jack was more of a mother then Julia was – and ever would be.

Jack.

Her name made him remember what had happened when he drove home. It wasn't that he forgot, but other thoughts raced through his mind quicker.

He had to be sure, so he picked up the telephone and called Jack's cell phone number.

"Hello?" a voice rang out groggily.

"JACK!?" Alex almost yelled.

"Sheesh, you don't have to yell. So I guess you know who I am, but I don't know who you are, or why you're calling at the ripe and lovely time of five-in-the-freaking-morning."

Oops. Alex had forgotten about the time change. He was pretty sure London was five hours ahead. He looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was just after ten in the morning.

Then again, he thought she was dead, and had no way of knowing that she was in America.

"Oh! Sorry about that, you're in Washington D.C.?" Alex said.

"Woah, no. I'm not telling anything to any stalker or serial killer or anyone 'till I know who it is I'm speaking too!"

"It's Alex," he said quietly.

Silence.

Then, "he's dead. I don't know what kind of joke you're trying to pull, but whatever it is it's the farthest thing from funny!"

Alex almost started to cry again. Almost. "No, Jack. I'm not dead. I was kidnapped, then Scorpia got a hold of me and Ari and began training us, but I got away, and I stayed at Mrs. Jone's house."

"The real Alex would have never gone there. He hated her. Almost has much as he hated Blunt. And anyways, he would have come home first."

"Jack, I came home yesterday. I was sent to Mrs. Jone's house to kill her, but I didn't and we talked and she drove me home, but there were strangers in the house, so I couldn't stay. I had nowhere else to go."

Silence.

"In year seven, how did Alex ruin his new tie?"

Alex almost smiled. It was just like Jack to ask something like that. It was good he remembered what had happened.

"By it being stuck in the car's window as you drove off after leaving me at school. It was a Monday and the first time I wore that particular tie." Alex said.

Alex could imagine her eyes narrowing. "Anyone could have asked any of his classmates that." Another pause. "Is it really you, Alex?"

"Yes, Jack. It's really me."

**

* * *

**

Updated: March 15, 2009


	15. Chapitre Quinze

Guess what? I'm back! I bet no one ever thought I would return to finish my story after an entire year of not updating. AND I've finished editing the rest of the chapters! I'm working on replying to reviews.

Disclaimer: Yo no tengo Alex Rider. Yo no hablo espanol. Yo estoy stupido.

* * *

There was an awkward silence at first, then Yassen spoke,

"Ari has nothing to do with this. Let her go."

Julia laughed demoniacally. "Actually, she has much to do with this. In fact, she's the quickest way to get to you."

Ari narrowed her eyes at Julia. "What do you want?" Her words were meant to come out full of malice, but they seemed feeble to Ari's ears.

Julia smiled widely. "That's just what I was about to get to. Yassen, dear, no one has been able to match you in skill since John Rider. You will begin working for us again."

"And if I don't?" he growled.

"Then Ari will find herself in some nasty predicaments."

Julia would have melted if looks could fry someone.

"And while Ari is here, she will be trained. Once you grow old, you will be held here as leverage while Ari works for us. She's shown much potential."

"No! I'd rather die," Ari glared.

Julia shrugged, "so be it."

* * *

Alex filled Jack in on everything that went on while he was away and Jack did the same. Their house was sold and Jack moved back to America to be closer to her family, her dad diagnosed with cancer.

In the end, Alex forced Jack to stay in America for the time being. He enjoyed talking with her, but at the moment had no idea where his life was heading right now. Would he stay with Mrs. Jones? Or would he move to America to start over and be close to Jack?

Alex paced the floor over and over.

Mrs. Jones arrived home from the grocery store and offered Alex something to eat. He accepted a bagel and told her about their conversation.

"Well, Alex. Your guardianship would all depend on what you want. Alan Blunt is gone, so he will no longer make decisions for you. I would be more than happy to adopt you into my life or pay for a plane ticket for you to live with Jack in America or London."

Alex digested this for a moment. When major choices were made for him all his life, it was hard to make one for himself.

"Well, Jack's dad has cancer, so she can't come here. I don't really want to impose on your life, but I'd really like to attend my old school, despite everyone thinking I'm some sort of dropout. Then again, maybe a fresh start would be nice."

"You don't have to decide now," Mrs. Jones assured him. "You can stay with me until you decide."

"Thanks,"

* * *

Time passed, and eventually Alex grew accustomed to living with Mrs. Jones and enjoying talking with her. She was a much different person when away from the bank.

Ari however, spent her time either training to be a killer, or in a cell. The cell had a bed, at least, but the overall idea of being locked up was unfavorable.

She never saw Yassen. Instead, Niles came to visit her occasionally with fists and a video tape when Yassen got to 'out-of-hand.'

Overall, it was a pitiful existence.

---

One morning, instead waking up by a fist pounding against the metal door, she was shaken awake by a familiar face.

"Dad!" she embraced him fiercely.

"Shh, we have to go now," he whispered. Ari nodded and followed him to the door, senses on alert.

They made it out of the compound and ran to a waiting car. Ari was a little out-of-breath because she had taken a particularly fierce beating the night before.

Soon, they were away.

* * *

Julia Rothman was furious. The stupid guards let her most valued prisoner escape. When she found them, she was going to kill both of them in the most painful ways possible. Starting with that damned girl.

She stood up and grabbed her handbag (which contained various weapons and such). Heading out to a car, she told the driver where she wanted to go and set off.

---

When she arrived at the apartment, she could see that Ari and Yassen were already there. He probably barricaded them into a room, she thought.

A lone black car belonging to Yassen was parked in the street and she made sure to slip a tracking beacon under the exhaust pipe.

Julia and her driver, Niles, entered the apartment and moved down the hallway, gun at the ready. Unknown to them, their presence triggered a switch.

Within moments, the whole apartment complex was reduced to smoldering ash.

Five minutes later, a black car rolled down the street past the blown up apartment building and police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances that dotted the street.

Turning around, the car sped in the direction of the head of MI6's house.

* * *

Alex sat reading the football section of the newspaper when something on the news caught his attention.

The news reporter was telling a tragic tale in while two people were killed in a missive explosion. They had yet to identify the victims, but what caught Alex's attention was the fact that the apartment complex was where Yassen and Ari used to live.

Shivering, he called Mrs. Jones into the living room to watch the story, too.

"Do you think it could have been Scorpia?" Alex asked after explaining that the apartment belonged to Yassen.

Mrs. Jones shrugged. "Seems likely, but I really have no idea."

"No, it was not Scorpia," a voice said from the doorway. Both occupants of the room spun around to see Ari and Yassen entering the house from the back door. Mrs. Jones didn't even bother asking about how they bypassed her security measures.

"It was us," Ari added to her father's statement. "Julia Rothman and that guy named Niles were killed in the explosion. We had to do it. They were going to kill us."

Mrs. Jones nodded. "You're sure they're dead?" Ari and Yassen both nodded. "What are you both going to do now that you're out of Scorpia's clutches?"

"We're going to go to my home country, Russia, and start a new life," Yassen said. Ari nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Jones shook both of their hands. "As far as MI6 and any other government agencies are concerned, your record is clean."

"Thank you,"

Alex stood up and embraced Ari. "I'll miss you."

"And I, you." Ari replied, returning the hug.

Without another word, father and daughter left Britain forever.

* * *

Alex accepted the plane ticket from Mrs. Jones. "Thank you so much," he said, giving Mrs. Jones a hug. She was surprised at first, then returned the embrace.

"Good luck," she said.

Alex nodded and boarded the plane set for the United States.

* * *

"Leave the boy alone, Byrne."

"Of course, Mrs. Jones."

Joe Byrne hung up the phone and looked at the file on his desk. Alex Rider's face grinned up at him. Of course he would leave the boy alone -

for a year or two.

_-fin-_


End file.
